May 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Due to the improvement of humanitarian access in Darfur, International Organization for Migration (IOM) last April managed to register 52,700 IDPs mostly displaced from Jebel Marra in 2016.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)'s office in Khartoum reported on Sunday in its weekly bulletin that the recently registered IDPs from the 2016 caseload, include "24,613 IDPs were registered in Tawilla locality, North Darfur and 20,402 IDPs were registered in Nertiti locality, Central Darfur".
Furthermore, there are "7,554 new IDPs who fled their homes in East Darfur and arrived between 17 February and 8 March in El Lait locality, North Darfur were registered in April".
While the 2016 IDPs fled their areas due to the clashes with the holdout rebel groups, the new "IDPs had fled their villages in East Darfur State due to an inter-communal conflict between farmers and pastoralists and sought refuge in four locations in El Lait locality".
Following an agreement with the U.S. on the lift of the longstanding economic sanctions, Khartoum agreed to stop air attacks on civilian areas, declared a unilateral cessation of hostilities and opened humanitarian access to the IDPs areas in Darfur.
Some armed groups also committed themselves to a unilateral cessation of hostilities.
10,000 RETURNEES
Based on Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Fact Sheet prepared by IOM, OCHA reported the registration of 10,229 returnees in April.
"4,385 (people returned to) Otash village, South Darfur and 5,844 returnees were registered in nine localities in North Darfur State," said the UN humanitarian agency.
"The registered returnees said their return is permanent and that they do not plan to go back to their areas of displacement," said the report.
According to the UN agencies, over 195,500 refugees and IDP returned to their areas of origin in Darfur in 2014-2016.
(ST)
May 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Sunday cancelled a planned trip to Cairo several days after accusations by President Omer al-Bashir that Egypt provided weapons to Darfur rebels used during a recent attack.
The Egyptian authorities dismissed the Sudanese accusations of support to Darfur armed groups. But Khartoum points to the armoured vehicles seized from the rebels, a matter that Cairo didn't explain.
Ghandour had to travel to Cairo on Wednesday 31 May for follow-up talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on contentious issues discussed last April in Khartoum between the two officials.
"We told our brothers in Egypt about the postponement of the visit due to internal issues and it would take place later," said the Sudanese top diplomat in statements to the press on Sunday.
"The purpose of the visit was to convene meetings of the joint Sudanese-Egyptian political consultations committee and its agenda has been agreed already," he added.
However, Ghandour avoided giving the details of the internal issues that triggered the cancellation of the visit.
The 31 May meeting between Ghandour and Shoukry was supposed to discuss the ban on Egyptian agricultural imports and visa requirements after the Sudanese government decision to re-establish visa for Egyptians.
Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have escalated following the former's decision to restrict imports of Egyptian farming products which was reciprocated by Cairo's decision to raise residency fees for Sudanese living in Egypt.
The deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries goes back to the attempt to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995 followed by the deployment of Egyptian troops in the disputed area of Halayeb triangle.
Since then, Khartoum has been moving to improve its ties with the eastern and western neighbours, instead of its strategic ties with Egypt.
Khartoum further went to back the construction of a dam in Ethiopia, which Cairo says will hurt its water needs. Also, the Sudanese government recently signed investment agreements with Gulf countries. Accordingly, they will establish huge agricultural projects that require the full use of Sudan share of the Nile water, a move which is seen in Cairo as another threat to Egypt.
(ST)